Roland Emmerich’s ‘Stonewall,’ Gets An Official Synopsis; Casts a Bunch More White People

Roland Emmerich's 'Stonewall,' Gets An Official Synopsis; Casts a Bunch More White People

A week or two ago we noted that Roland Emmerich’s dramatization of the Stonewall Riots had begun shooting in Montreal and was looking for “gay and gay-friendly extras” (they might still need some), and now comes word that if you indeed made that cut, you’ll be working alongside the newly cast Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ron Pearlman and Joey King, who are joining previously announced Jeremy Irvine Jonny Beauchamp and Caleb Landry Jones(which makes for an entirely white main cast for a diverse historic event — not to mention I sure hope one of those boys are spending days on set in drag).

The news came with the first official synopsis of the film, which gives us clues into whom will be playing whom:

STONEWALL is a drama about a young man in New York caught up during the 1969 Stonewall Riots, a pivotal event widely considered the starting point for the modern gay civil rights movement. Kicked out of his own home, young Danny Winters (Jeremy Irvine) flees to NY, leaving behind his beloved sister (Joey King). Homeless and destitute, he befriends a group of street kids who soon introduce him to the watering hole of the local drag queens, gays, lesbians, and everything in between: The Stonewall Inn. However, this shady, mafia-run club is far from a safe-haven. At the bar, Danny meets the suave Trevor (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) before catching the eye of Ed Murphy (Ron Perlman), Stonewall’s repulsive manager who colludes with corrupt police, exploits homeless youth for financial gain, and is even suspected to have had a hand in some of their “disappearances.” It spirals out of control when the police unexpectedly raid Stonewall. In a storm of anger and with the toss of a single brick, a riot ensues and a crusade for equality is born.

Sounds a little Lifetime movie to us, but hey — we have to trust the man that made “The Day After Tomorrow” and “White House Down,” right?

Comments

Of course, everyone seems to have forgotten about the other movie called Stonewall (1995), which had a similar plot (completely fictionalized), but was written and directed by gay men. Unfortunately, it was a Lifetimey movie as well, though not 100% white. The true story is way too gritty and the characters aren't all pretty and neat, so it's being done like Titanic – make up attractive characters and put them at a historic event. It sounds pretty dull.

1. Um, "casted" is not a word. The past-tense of 'to cast' is…'cast'. So, the sentence should actually read: "…you'll be joining the newly-cast Jonathan Rhys Meyers…."

2. Not only is this cast incredibly white, but it's also incredibly…straight. Normally, I don't have a problem with straight men cast as gay men in fictional love stories, but casting straight men in a film about Stonewall is like casting white men in blackface for a film about the 1963 march on Washington.